How do I activate the ASB Visa Debit complimentary travel insurance?

You can't, because the ASB Visa Debit comes with no complimentary travel insurance to activate. On New Zealand cards that do carry cover, it switches on when you pay prepaid travel costs (flights, accommodation, tours) with the card before you leave: any amount on some cards, $500 or half the trip on others. Booking your flights on the ASB Visa Debit triggers nothing like that, because there is no insurer, no policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) and no benefit table behind the card. There is no registration step to look for either. If you want cover for the trip, buy a standalone travel policy when you book, and keep the debit card for spending your own money.

Who is covered under my ASB Visa Debit complimentary insurance?

Nobody, because the ASB Visa Debit carries no complimentary insurance. That applies to you as the account holder and to a partner or children travelling with you, whoever paid for the flights. It matters most for families: on New Zealand credit cards that include travel cover, a spouse and dependent children are often covered when they travel with the cardholder, and this debit card has no such benefit. Every traveller in your group needs to be named on a standalone travel policy. A family policy can cover two adults and their children on one premium, so check its age limit for children and how it treats pre-existing medical conditions before you pay.

Does the ASB Visa Debit cover rental car excess?

No. The ASB Visa Debit has no rental vehicle excess cover, either for a car hired overseas or for a hire car or campervan in New Zealand. The excess is the amount the rental company charges you after damage to or theft of the vehicle, and hire companies commonly set it in the thousands of dollars. Some New Zealand credit cards reimburse it when the hire goes on the card; paying with this debit card gives you nothing back. Two options close the gap: the rental company's excess-reduction option at the desk, or a standalone rental excess policy bought before you travel. Check too that the hire company accepts a debit card for the bond before you arrive.

How do I make a claim on my ASB Visa Debit insurance?

There is nothing to claim on: the ASB Visa Debit carries no travel insurance, purchase protection or phone cover, so no insurer handles claims for it. If something goes wrong on a trip, the claim goes to the standalone travel insurer you bought a policy from, with itemised medical bills, a police report or the airline's property irregularity report, and your receipts. Problems with the card itself go to ASB: lock it in the ASB app, call 0800 803 804 in New Zealand or +64 9 306 3000 collect from overseas, and ask ASB to dispute any transaction you did not make. If a complaint about ASB is not resolved, the Banking Ombudsman Scheme reviews it for free.

What does the ASB Visa Debit not cover?

The ASB Visa Debit carries no complimentary travel insurance, so there is no overseas medical, cancellation or baggage cover, and no purchase protection or extended warranty. In practice that means no emergency medical or evacuation cover overseas, where ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment. There is no trip cancellation, travel delay or missed connection cover, no rental car excess cover, no ski or snowboard cover, no personal liability and no mobile phone insurance. What the card does is let you spend your own money in New Zealand, online and overseas, with a $0 annual card fee and a 2.10% Offshore Service Margin on foreign-currency transactions. For the risks, pair it with a standalone policy.

Does the ASB Visa Debit cover skiing or snowboarding?

No. The ASB Visa Debit has no snow-sports cover of any kind: no ski injury medical costs, no mountain rescue, no cover for your own or hired gear and no refund of unused lift passes. There is no snow-sports extension to buy either, because there is no underlying policy to extend. On a ski trip to Japan, a fracture treated overseas quickly reaches five figures, and ACC does not pay for treatment overseas. Skiing at home is different, since ACC covers treatment for a ski accident on a New Zealand ski field. For an overseas snow trip, buy a standalone travel policy and add its snow-sports option before you leave, because it cannot be added once you are hurt.

Do I still need separate travel insurance if I have the ASB Visa Debit?

Yes. The ASB Visa Debit includes no travel insurance, so a trip with this card alone leaves you exposed to the costs that hurt most: a hospital bill, an air ambulance home and bookings you cannot get refunded. ACC and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas, and a few nights in a Honolulu hospital commonly run to six figures. A standalone New Zealand travel policy covers medical treatment, cancellation and baggage, whichever card paid for the trip. Buy it when you book rather than the week you fly, because cancellation cover only starts on the policy's start date. Then use the debit card for spending, and keep the policy's emergency number in your phone.

Which ASB card includes travel insurance?

Not the ASB Visa Debit. ASB says only its Visa Platinum Rewards credit cards include travel insurance benefits, so the debit card, like ASB's other personal cards, comes with none. On that Platinum card, cover for trips starting from 15 September 2026 is underwritten by Zurich New Zealand, and it only applies once at least $500 of prepaid travel deposits went on the Platinum card itself. Paying for the trip with your Visa Debit does not count, even if you also hold the Platinum card, because the activation has to come from the insured card. If the debit card is the only ASB card you hold, a standalone travel policy is the way to get cover.

What fees does the ASB debit card charge overseas?

The ASB Visa Debit has a $0 annual card fee, but every transaction in a foreign currency carries a 2.10% Offshore Service Margin (the fee ASB adds to the exchange rate Visa selects), charged on the converted New Zealand dollar amount. It applies to purchases and to cash from overseas ATMs. ASB removed this margin from its personal Visa credit cards in September 2026, but kept it on Visa Debit cards. Before you fly, check that international transactions are switched on in Card Control in the ASB app. When a terminal offers to charge you in New Zealand dollars, choose the local currency instead, because the merchant's own conversion often costs more than the margin.

Does the ASB debit card come with any travel insurance or purchase cover?

ASB·$0/year·Visa Debit

Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviewsUpdated 21 October 20268 min read

0,0/5Independent review · verified October 2026

Travel Insurance

0,0

Car Rental

0,0

Winter Sports

0,0

Protection

0,0

Our Verdict · Travel Insurance

Our take on travel insurance for the ASB Visa Debit

Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews

$0 annual fee. No travel insurance at all. Here's what that means for your next trip. You come down with a fever in Bali and the clinic wants payment up front: with the ASB Visa Debit, that bill is yours, because the card carries no overseas medical, cancellation or baggage cover. Does booking the flights on it switch anything on? No. Most people assume the bank card that paid for the trip brings some cover with it, and it doesn't, while ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation, New Zealand's no-fault injury scheme) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas. A standalone New Zealand travel policy covers the medical bills, cancellations and lost bags this card leaves out, whichever card paid for the trip. If all you need is a way to spend your own money abroad, the card does that, with a 2.10% Offshore Service Margin (the fee ASB adds to every foreign-currency transaction); if you want the trip itself protected, buy that cover before you leave.

What works on travel

No annual card fee: the ASB Visa Debit costs $0 a year to hold
Spends your own money: no credit limit, no interest and no bill waiting after the trip
Card Control in the ASB app: lock the card or switch overseas transactions on and off from your phone

Where travel breaks down

No complimentary travel insurance: paying for flights or hotels with the card switches on no cover
No overseas medical or evacuation cover: ACC and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas
No cancellation, delay or luggage cover: a cancelled trip or a lost bag is fully out of pocket
2.10% Offshore Service Margin on foreign-currency spending, still charged on Visa Debit after ASB dropped it from its personal Visa credit cards in September 2026

Our methodology

Every score is derived from official bank documents: terms and conditions, benefit guides, and claim procedures. No commercial relationship influences our ratings.

Travel Insurance · 20 guarantees

What does ASB Visa Debit Travel Insurance actually cover?

No trip cancellation. This benefit is not included with this card. Prepaid flights, hotels and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel, and a non-refundable week in Tokyo for two commonly runs to several thousand dollars.

No overseas medical cover. This benefit is not included with this card. All medical costs overseas are the cardholder's responsibility, because ACC and the public health system don't pay for treatment overseas, and a few nights in a Honolulu hospital commonly run to six figures.

No evacuation or repatriation. This benefit is not included with this card. Evacuation and repatriation costs are entirely the cardholder's responsibility, and an air ambulance from Bali to New Zealand commonly costs six figures.

No emergency dental cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Emergency dental treatment overseas is out of pocket, because ACC and the public health system don't pay for treatment overseas.

No hospital cash allowance. This benefit is not included with this card. No daily allowance is paid during a hospital stay overseas, so the incidental costs of an admission are yours to cover.

No additional expenses cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Extra accommodation and transport after a disruption, such as a cyclone closing Nadi airport, are the cardholder's responsibility.

No travel delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Meals, accommodation and transport during a long delay, such as an unplanned night in Tokyo, are the cardholder's responsibility.

No alternative transport cover. This benefit is not included with this card. The cost of alternative transport to reach a prepaid cruise, tour or event on time is out of pocket.

No return home cover. This benefit is not included with this card. The cost of flying home after a family emergency, and of resuming the trip afterwards, is out of pocket.

No luggage delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Clothes and toiletries bought while your bag is delayed, say on arrival in Rarotonga, are out of pocket.

No luggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Replacement costs for lost or stolen bags and belongings are the cardholder's responsibility.

No travel documents cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Replacing a lost passport or stolen cash overseas, including the extra travel to reach a consulate, is out of pocket.

No personal liability cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Legal liability for injuring someone or damaging property overseas is uninsured, and claims of this kind commonly reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

No accidental death cover. This benefit is not included with this card. No lump sum is paid to you or your estate if an accident on the trip causes death or permanent disablement.

No income replacement. This benefit is not included with this card. Injured in Bali and off work for 8 weeks on your return, you get no income replacement from this card, and ACC weekly compensation only applies to injuries ACC covers.

No domestic cancellation cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Prepaid domestic flights and accommodation, such as a Queenstown ski week, are not reimbursable if you cancel.

No domestic delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Meals and accommodation during a delayed or cancelled domestic flight are the cardholder's responsibility.

No domestic disruption cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Extra accommodation and transport after a disruption on a trip within New Zealand are out of pocket.

No domestic luggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Lost or stolen luggage on a trip within New Zealand is not reimbursable through this card.

No domestic bag-delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Essentials bought while your bag is delayed on a domestic flight are out of pocket.

We source benefits from official card guides, but PDFs are sometimes hard to obtain or update. Spotted something off?

Report an error Send updated PDF

Coverage Radar

Where the ASB Visa Debit wins, where it loses

Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.

Trip cancellation: not covered by this card

Medical fees abroad: not covered by this card

Medical repatriation: not covered by this card

Compare

Visa DebitThis card0.0/5?

$0/yr

With travel insuranceIdeal

Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5

Premium card avg.

$297 avg. annual fee

Click a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.

Side-by-side comparison

How the ASB Visa Debit stacks up against the alternatives

Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Visa Debit shoppers also consider.

Card	This card Visa Debit ASB · $0/yr 0.0/5?	Visa Platinum Rewards ASB · $125/yr 3.2/5?	Airpoints Visa Platinum ANZ · $150/yr 3.1/5?	Platinum Card American Express · $850/yr 3.6/5?
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap	Not covered Cover this gap →	Unlimited All prepaid deposits, no dollar cap	Unlimited All prepaid travel, no dollar cap	$30,000 per person All prepaid travel, $30,000 cap
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad	Not covered Cover this gap →	Unlimited Unlimited, ages 75 and under	Unlimited Unlimited under age 75	$5,000,000 Capped $5,000,000, overseas only
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation	Not covered Cover this gap →	Unlimited Included in unlimited medical	Unlimited Included in unlimited medical	$5,000,000 Approved by Chubb Assistance
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in	Not covered Cover this gap →	6h / $400 Trigger: more than 6 hours	6h / $250 Trigger: 6 hours	4h / $650 Trigger: 4 hours
Trip interruption Covered amount	Not covered Cover this gap →	Unlimited Unlimited, broad list of events	Unlimited Unlimited, broad list of events	$5,000 per person Trip change during the trip

StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered

Data verified against each card's Guide to Benefits, May 2026.

Cardholder reviews

What cardholders say about the ASB Visa Debit

Real experiences of paying and travelling with the card 1 reviews

shaneel (ChoiceCheapies)

February 2019

Paying by card beat carrying cash

I have an ASB Visa Debt and i found that when travelling ... it is far cheaper to use your card to buy things direct (even considering the offshore margins). ... I know, it probably doesnt sound like this would be the best option but it actually is & it beats carrying cash.

ASB card help in New Zealand (lost, stolen or blocked card)

0800 803 804

Free call within New Zealand · Contact centre hours, and the card can be locked at any time in the ASB app

ASB from overseas (lost, stolen or compromised card)

+64 9 306 3000

Call collect through the local operator · Contact centre hours; Visa Global Customer Assistance arranges an emergency card or cash 24/7

What to do if something goes wrong overseas with the ASB Visa Debit

Step 1: Buy a standalone travel policy as soon as you book

The card includes no travel insurance, so arrange a standalone policy whose policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) states its overseas medical, cancellation and baggage limits. Cancellation cover only protects you from the date the policy starts, so buy it when you book the trip, not the week you fly, and save the insurer's 24/7 emergency number in your phone.

Step 2: Card lost or stolen overseas? Lock it, then call

Lock the card straight away with Card Control in the ASB app. For an emergency replacement card or emergency cash, contact Visa Global Customer Assistance, 24/7 by chat or phone through Visa's emergency assistance page; Visa forwards the request to ASB. You can also call ASB collect through the local operator on +64 9 306 3000, or 0800 803 804 once you are back in New Zealand.

Step 3: Take an unresolved complaint about ASB to the Banking Ombudsman Scheme

For a dispute with ASB over the card or your account (not travel insurance, which this card does not carry), complain to ASB first. If its customer care team cannot resolve it, the Banking Ombudsman Scheme reviews the complaint for free: call 0800 805 950 or visit bankomb.org.nz.

You can't, because the ASB Visa Debit comes with no complimentary travel insurance to activate. On New Zealand cards that do carry cover, it switches on when you pay prepaid travel costs (flights, accommodation, tours) with the card before you leave: any amount on some cards, $500 or half the trip on others. Booking your flights on the ASB Visa Debit triggers nothing like that, because there is no insurer, no policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) and no benefit table behind the card. There is no registration step to look for either. If you want cover for the trip, buy a standalone travel policy when you book, and keep the debit card for spending your own money.
Nobody, because the ASB Visa Debit carries no complimentary insurance. That applies to you as the account holder and to a partner or children travelling with you, whoever paid for the flights. It matters most for families: on New Zealand credit cards that include travel cover, a spouse and dependent children are often covered when they travel with the cardholder, and this debit card has no such benefit. Every traveller in your group needs to be named on a standalone travel policy. A family policy can cover two adults and their children on one premium, so check its age limit for children and how it treats pre-existing medical conditions before you pay.
No. The ASB Visa Debit has no rental vehicle excess cover, either for a car hired overseas or for a hire car or campervan in New Zealand. The excess is the amount the rental company charges you after damage to or theft of the vehicle, and hire companies commonly set it in the thousands of dollars. Some New Zealand credit cards reimburse it when the hire goes on the card; paying with this debit card gives you nothing back. Two options close the gap: the rental company's excess-reduction option at the desk, or a standalone rental excess policy bought before you travel. Check too that the hire company accepts a debit card for the bond before you arrive.
There is nothing to claim on: the ASB Visa Debit carries no travel insurance, purchase protection or phone cover, so no insurer handles claims for it. If something goes wrong on a trip, the claim goes to the standalone travel insurer you bought a policy from, with itemised medical bills, a police report or the airline's property irregularity report, and your receipts. Problems with the card itself go to ASB: lock it in the ASB app, call 0800 803 804 in New Zealand or +64 9 306 3000 collect from overseas, and ask ASB to dispute any transaction you did not make. If a complaint about ASB is not resolved, the Banking Ombudsman Scheme reviews it for free.
The ASB Visa Debit carries no complimentary travel insurance, so there is no overseas medical, cancellation or baggage cover, and no purchase protection or extended warranty. In practice that means no emergency medical or evacuation cover overseas, where ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment. There is no trip cancellation, travel delay or missed connection cover, no rental car excess cover, no ski or snowboard cover, no personal liability and no mobile phone insurance. What the card does is let you spend your own money in New Zealand, online and overseas, with a $0 annual card fee and a 2.10% Offshore Service Margin on foreign-currency transactions. For the risks, pair it with a standalone policy.
No. The ASB Visa Debit has no snow-sports cover of any kind: no ski injury medical costs, no mountain rescue, no cover for your own or hired gear and no refund of unused lift passes. There is no snow-sports extension to buy either, because there is no underlying policy to extend. On a ski trip to Japan, a fracture treated overseas quickly reaches five figures, and ACC does not pay for treatment overseas. Skiing at home is different, since ACC covers treatment for a ski accident on a New Zealand ski field. For an overseas snow trip, buy a standalone travel policy and add its snow-sports option before you leave, because it cannot be added once you are hurt.
Yes. The ASB Visa Debit includes no travel insurance, so a trip with this card alone leaves you exposed to the costs that hurt most: a hospital bill, an air ambulance home and bookings you cannot get refunded. ACC and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas, and a few nights in a Honolulu hospital commonly run to six figures. A standalone New Zealand travel policy covers medical treatment, cancellation and baggage, whichever card paid for the trip. Buy it when you book rather than the week you fly, because cancellation cover only starts on the policy's start date. Then use the debit card for spending, and keep the policy's emergency number in your phone.
Not the ASB Visa Debit. ASB says only its Visa Platinum Rewards credit cards include travel insurance benefits, so the debit card, like ASB's other personal cards, comes with none. On that Platinum card, cover for trips starting from 15 September 2026 is underwritten by Zurich New Zealand, and it only applies once at least $500 of prepaid travel deposits went on the Platinum card itself. Paying for the trip with your Visa Debit does not count, even if you also hold the Platinum card, because the activation has to come from the insured card. If the debit card is the only ASB card you hold, a standalone travel policy is the way to get cover.
The ASB Visa Debit has a $0 annual card fee, but every transaction in a foreign currency carries a 2.10% Offshore Service Margin (the fee ASB adds to the exchange rate Visa selects), charged on the converted New Zealand dollar amount. It applies to purchases and to cash from overseas ATMs. ASB removed this margin from its personal Visa credit cards in September 2026, but kept it on Visa Debit cards. Before you fly, check that international transactions are switched on in Card Control in the ASB app. When a terminal offers to charge you in New Zealand dollars, choose the local currency instead, because the merchant's own conversion often costs more than the margin.